The Writing Journal You Didn’t Know You Need

May 16, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

This book began as a personal project: a collection of questions mined from the far reaches of the internet and my brain to help work through some roadblocks in my own WIP. I hit the mid-plot doldrums HARD, and I needed to reorient. When you’re 50,000-words deep in, however, it can be hard to remember […]

Tips For Building Realistic Systems Of Magic

December 10, 2020.Reading time 18 minutes.

The more you know about how your magical system works, the more real it will be to read about it. The more you tell me why your system of magic works, the more I’ll think you’re full of shit.

Writing Opposite Genders: A Rant

October 6, 2020.Reading time 13 minutes.

To say “anyone can do it” because the genders are equally competent is wrong, and it minimizes the skill it takes for an author to pull off.

When “Borrowing” Ideas Goes Wrong

September 21, 2020.Reading time 8 minutes.

Now, I’m all for a literary heist. I borrow ideas all the time, from all over, but I make it a point not to stop once the idea has been borrowed. After all, coming up with a “new and different” idea isn’t the same as coming up with a good one.

How Writers Screw Up Tough Women

September 14, 2020.Reading time 14 minutes.

The amount of writers who unwittingly fall into this category drives me bananas. The worst part? A lot of it comes down to lazy and unimaginative writing.

Criticism And Becoming A Better Writer

July 27, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

Don’t @me on this one, guys.

Setting Writing Goals To Maintain Creative Motivation

July 23, 2020.Reading time 5 minutes.

Here is the key to effectively setting goals: set small ones that are easy to accomplish. It sounds like a cop-out, yeah, but we are far less likely to follow through with (or even start) something that seems hard.

The First Thing To Do After Finishing A First Draft

July 18, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to take that mess of a first draft manuscript and turn it into an ebook. Do I sound crazy? Absolutely. But don’t write me off just yet.

Editing: A Truth About Cutting

July 11, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

What you are writing has nothing to do with you-the-writer and everything to do with the story you are telling. What you want only matters to the extent that the story wants it too.

Creating Realistic Characters: Action, Love, and Hope

June 30, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

As it happens, these three things are also super relevant when it comes to developing your characters. And by developing your characters, I mean figuring what who the fuck your characters are, and what the fuck they’re doing.